The Weasel Confrontation
by DreamOfStories
Summary: Sasuke is all set to finish things when Shikako intervenes. This causes issues. For everyone. But it's ok because it was the right thing to do. Right?
1. The Weasel Confronation (Sasuke)

I have no plan. I have no schedule. I'm not even sure at what point I'll get bored and tie it off. Chapters will be short with the majority 800-900 words, the whole thing in unlikely to ever hit 10,000 total and very very shortly I will have no time to write anything for this. Read at your own risk.

Rights and stuff for characters to Silver Queen and Kishimoto. Check out Dreaming of Sunshine if you haven't already. It'll be worth it.

 **Edit 23/3/16:** So… It's going to be more than 10,000 if only because I have 9 chapters of about 1000 words and I guestimate that I'm half way there. The rest still applies though.

 **-/-**

Sasuke stood panting over his fallen brother. His shoulder ached from where the curse seal had activated and been subsequently destroyed. Cuts and bruises littered his body, none of them overly serious but they stung as his sweat dripped over them. At his feet, Itachi, still crying tears of blood, let out a wet sounding cough. Sasuke felt his lips curl in a grim smile of satisfaction. His old nightmare was going to be over soon. No more worrying that his powerful brother would sweep in and slaughter his new family. No more fear that there would be a day he would turn around and his team would be gone, that he would be alone again. No more looking at Shikako and seeing her unconscious and screaming in the street after she took his brother's attack for him. No more knowing that Naruto was hunted by the same man who had already stolen everything from him once...

Naruto and Shikako walked slowly towards him, their familiar chakra brushing against his own. Kakashi too, was nearby, but he kept his distance focusing on the perimeter. He wouldn't let anyone interrupt him – them - now. He understood. Team Ten would keep their distance too. Sasuke didn't know what Shikako had said to her twin to ensure that, but they'd agreed. This... This was for his family to deal with. This was for his team.

"It's over, Itachi."

He clenched his fist. The hilt of his sword dug into his grip, grounding him. Finally... Finally...

Shikako ducked around him, slapped a knock out tag on his head and then ran green hands over his brother's body. Naruto let out a choked sound next to him. She was... What? Healing him?! The traitor?! Why?!

"Shikako? What are you doing?"

"Trust me, Sasuke. It's best if we bring him back alive."

He gritted his teeth. "It's Itachi!"

She glanced at him, barely taking her attention of her pati- him. Naruto made an aborted move with his left hand, before backing away and putting his hands up. Sasuke sent him a nasty glare before focusing on his teammate. Shikako was an intelligent kunoichi perfectly capable of guilt-free killing. She wasn't Naruto - the dobe - that tried to 'save' everyone. She had a reason for everything she did. But. What reason could possibly be good enough for pulling this stunt?! Why would she want to save the person who had put her in a coma for over a month? Who still featured in her nightmares?!

"Shikako. What. The. Hell?!"

She sighed. "I have a reason. A really good reason. You... You can't kill him. Not until I've told you. I... He wants to die. At your hand. You've defeated him, you've proven that your stronger. If we bring him back to T&I they can keep him alive as they pull every tiny secret about Akatuski from him. Then he'll die, not testing his limits in combat like he wanted. He'll die in a cell, put down like... Like..."

Sasuke could see her eyes pleading at him. Begging him to trust her, that this was the best option - the right option. He barely listened to her words, but he got the gist of it. After everything, why give Itachi what he wanted? Why give him the death he'd worked for?

"If he escapes..."

"He won't."

Sasuke closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Then he let the sword slip out of his hand and stepped backwards.

"Sasuke, don't tell Team 10."

He nodded sharply and stalked away to find Kakashi. Shikako knew, she knew what this meant to him. His team understood. She wouldn't have said anything without a damn good reason for it. He would trust that her reasoning was good enough. And if it wasn't? She was right about giving him over to T&I. Itachi had taken everything away from him, had threatened to take what he'd found for himself since. Taking away the death Itachi had plotted for himself... It was a start.

Kakashi appeared slightly behind him, customary book in hand. "We're taking him back?"

"Shikako has something to tell me. We're not telling Team 10."

"Hmm." Kakashi flipped a page over in his book, but Sasuke knew he wasn't reading it. He could feel his sensei's stare boring into his back. "What do you think?"

"I trust my teammate."

"Alright."

Behind them, Itachi's chakra vanished. Tucked away for transport in whatever manner Shikako deemed appropriate. Then there was a croak and two bursts of smoke in quick succession. Naruto. Itachi would be kept by the toads? Better than them lugging him around. "I'll tell Shikamaru."

Kakashi nodded, but stayed with him, their steps falling into sync. Sasuke was glad. His goal, his aim since he was a child was fulfilled. Well, nearly. He wondered what it would have been like if things were different. If he didn't have his team. If he had reached this point alone, with nothing else left. How empty of purpose would he have felt? What would he have done now?


	2. Explanations Come Due (Sasuke)

So in answer to the Sasuke stuff, I think in canon the focus was on killing Itachi to get revenge. In this DoS AU, the focus has switched to killing Itachi to prevent him destroying everything Sasuke has built since. He's also a tiny bit in shock that his teammate who to all appearances understand him completely would... basically _not_ want to kill the bogeyman. So, partly shock, partly scrabbling for justification for what Shikako just did, partly trusting Shikako has a damn good reason. And partly because the thought of Itachi not getting what he wanted and not knowing T &I think torture is inefficient... Yeah.

Explanation time. Sasuke will be as off as the previous chapter probs. I struggle with his voice.

 **Edited 23/3/16** : minor grammar changes and such.

-/-

It was late. Team 10 had gone ahead; Shikamaru and Ino sending looks their way as they did so. They could tell something was up. However, the mission was complete and even if Team 7 were willing to be late, Kurenai was due to give birth soon. It was as good an excuse as any and so they were as alone as they were going to get. He stopped and turned to Shikako. She closed her eyes, dropping to the ground and concentrating heavily. Then she nodded and looking a little sick moved off the side of the trail and slumped to the ground, wrapping her arms around her knees. Kakashi and Naruto set up camp around her carefully, while Sasuke grabbed enough wood for a small fire. Whatever Shikako needed to say, it was bad. He doubted they'd be moving on any time soon.

Two minutes later, after the kettle was settled on the fire, Sasuke sat down next to his friend and waited. Naruto and Kakashi moved closer too.

"What I am about to say is highly classified. I... I can't tell you how I know. Just that, if I don't... I don't tell you then I don't think anyone else will. Or can. And... You need to know. You need to know before..."

She trailed off and Sasuke fought the urge to grab her by the shoulders and shake whatever it was out of her. Instead, he leaned forward slightly and met his gaze with hers. "Tell me."

She swallowed, and focused on her fingers. They were twisting in her lap, the spots where her finger tips pressed into her skin clearly visible. He half-wanted to tell her to stop, but then she began talking and Sasuke felt his world shatter again.

She told of how there was growing tension after the Kyuubi attack, how the Uchiha were suspected of treason. How this led to restrictions on them, restrictions supported by the Konoha elders - Homura, Koharu, Danzo. How the Uchiha had begun to plot, had intended to overthrow the Hokage and his Council. How Shisui had committed suicide after Danzo stole his eye. What exactly that eye could do. How Danzo, not believing a peaceful solution could be found, threatened to kill him, Itachi's most precious person if he didn't... He didn't...

She trailed off.

"Danzo ordered my clan's massacre. My clan were traitors. Itachi..." He felt sick.

She winced, not looking up, not meeting his eyes. Her fear of his reaction was written in every line of her body. Naruto was shaking his head, his face pale. He didn't say anything though. This was... This wasn't...

Kakashi shifted uncomfortably. "You're sure, Shikako?"

She nodded miserably and all the little comments over the years, the looks and warnings clicked together to form an ugly picture. He tried to speak but he couldn't get anything past the lump in his throat. He tried again. "Shikako... How long have you known?"

She flinched again. "From before the massacre. I... I couldn't have said anything. I wanted to! I wanted to do something but I-"

"You couldn't have done anything." There was something cold and angry in Kakashi's voice as he looked at Shikako. He patted her shoulder awkwardly and turned the full weight of his gaze on Sasuke. "I... can confirm the Uchiha were under surveillance. That there was tension between them and the village... But I would never have suspected..."

Naruto was still shaking his head, still pale. "That's... That's horrible. Hokage-jiji..."

"It would have been civil war if this got out. Might still be. Have you told anyone else?"

"No, but... Sasuke needed to know. Because... others know. Like Orochimaru. They'd have twisted the truth, and... I wanted you to know, before-" She cut herself off and wrapped her arms around her legs again.

Before he did something irreparable. Before he killed the brother that loved him - that had given everything to Konoha. The brother that had also tortured his teammate. "I don't... That doesn't mean I can forgive him for everything he's done. He hurt you. He was helping those who wanted to kill Naruto."

She stilled, looking up at him with confused watery eyes. "Sasuke?"

"You were right. There's questions to be answered. And I want Danzo to pay." He paused. "But I don't forgive him for hurting my team either. Tsuande can sort him out."

Kakashi nodded, sending him an approving look. "How secure is Itachi now?"

Shikako swiped an arm over her eyes. "I... invented a stasis seal. It, it takes time to prepare but it can be used to hold living things for up to a week. I tested it on some of the animals in the forest of death. Naruto's toad will keep the scroll safe."

"Yeah... Hey, Shikako... I know you won't tell us how you knew... But Tsuande-obaasan is going to ask..."

Shikako curled herself tighter. "I can't... Not yet... Please."

Sasuke frowned. That implied Shikako knew more things. More of Konoha's dirty secrets. That she was mixed up in something dangerous. And she was terrified. Sasuke knew his team. He knew their quirks and habits (OK, he didn't know all of Kakashi's yet but he was sure he would one day) and he knew that when Shikako was scared, she hid her chakra, pulled it inward so that no one could sense her, no one could find her. She fiddled with her crystal pendant too, treating it more like a talisman than a reminder to be careful. Right now she was doing both.

Their sensei sighed, stretching his legs towards the fire and carefully not looking at any of them. "Shikako. Is the source of this knowledge a threat to Konoha?"

"...No?"

"Is it a threat to you?"

"...only if people found out."

Kakashi nodded seriously, staring into the fire. "Is there anything else that we need to know now regarding Itachi's situation?"

She winced. "... No?"

Yeah right. There was more going on and Shikako knew it. She really was a terrible liar once you started asking the right questions. But... She really wasn't looking too good. It would be better to question Itachi.

"Have you told anyone else?"

"Not... No. No I haven't."

Sasuke kept himself still. Next to him, Naruto was holding his breath. Finally, Kakashi nodded. "I'll brief Tsunade when we've established the extent of this..." He trailed off with a grimace. "If asked, the three of you know nothing of this. Leave everything to me."

Naruto frowned. "What do we do if Tsunade-obaasan asks?"

"Nothing."

Shikako blinked. "Nothing?"

"Nothing. There is a protocol for if Konoha is potentially compromised. I will be invoking that, if you're right then we are more than justified. You don't say anything without my permission to anyone that has not been explicitly cleared. If I am compromised, the two of you will follow Shikako's lead, same precautions. Agreed?"

"Sure."

"Hn."

Shikako was gaping at them now, her eyes flickering between them. "That's it?"

"For now, yes. Shikako, if there is anything else you think I need to know, anything at all. I expect you to come find me."

"Yes Sensei."

Sasuke glanced at Naruto, taking in the colour that was gradually seeping back into his cheeks. He had to admit that the fact that Kakashi had a plan helped. He felt... wrung out. Tired. And underneath was a burning anger. He just didn't know who he was most angry at. Itachi? The Elders? His clan? He was pretty sure he wasn't angry at Shikako. She had been a child then, and with the threat being Danzo it wasn't like she could have told him sooner, not when they had recently both been confined to the village. The rest though...

"I want first watch."

He needed to think.

-/-

Way to make people suspicious Shikako. :P So, some told, to her team. Team not family because of the Itachi / Sasuke thing. And yeah, Kakashi isn't demanding how and where because Shikako is clearly terrified and he's got a major concern with Danzo to bug him. He'll be patient. For now. Similar story with the boys.

Kakashi up next.


	3. The Little Things (Kakashi)

**Edited 23/3/16:** Again minor stuff.

-/-

The journey back to Konoha the next morning was rather subdued. Naruto was still trying to come to terms with what his 'Hokage-jiji' had covered up. Sasuke was stewing over who he should be angry with now. Shikako... His one and only female student had withdrawn nearly completely into herself and Kakashi was genuinely concerned about her. Naruto would come to terms with this revelation and Sasuke would adapt. He himself had seen worse things. He knew what Danzo was capable of and while it made him furious to know what Danzo had put two of his student's through... it wasn't unimaginable. Shikako...

What was he to do about her?

Her recent revelations made a lot of things that he and Shikaku had worried over clearer. It was true genii tended to either arrogance or shyness, but Shikako did not fit the profile for a timid genius. Her shyness was not a natural part of her personality - as shown by the occasional flashes of leadership and confidence her teacher's had witnessed in the academy and that he had managed to bring out. Nor was it an act to keep herself with her far less motivated twin. The reports stated she had been genuinely terrified when they discussed her early advancement - because of what had happened to Itachi? Did she fear being made Konoha's next disposable prodigy?

Then there were other things, minor things, that were not unknown but weren't typical. Despite the pain he caused her, Shikako never insulted Itachi, never expressed hatred of him. It would have been entirely natural if she had. Sasuke had confided she had half believed the Kurama girl, that she had insisted he be careful. Neither he nor Shikaku had been able to explain where such distrust of the village had come from. There was also Naruto's interesting report on her interactions with Sai. She had hinted rather strongly that she knew about Root's training.

Was that the source of her knowledge?

Danzo was not, contrary to popular belief a misogynist. He was simply very selective over his recruits and females in general did not respond well to his training methods. They struggled to put aside their feelings and their instincts were generally more geared towards emotional stability. Those he did train successfully were often far more deadly than their male counterparts and feared for it. Shikako fit Danzo's desired profile perfectly and seven was his preferred recruitment age. Shikaku would not have stood for it, but Danzo had a lot of influence. Had she picked up on Root evaluating her and become curious? Had her investigation led her to stumble on the plans for the Uchiha? Even now the village was not fully aware of the limits of her sensing skills. It was not unbelievable that she would have recognised Root signatures around the compound. It neatly explained a lot.

But it didn't explain everything, there was more to this than Shikako was telling them. And there was the issue of how she knew it.

...Definitely the issue of how she knew it, and how she knew Orochimaru knew it, and how she knew it was Orochimaru among _others_. It would not be easy to convince her to tell him either. He would have to coax it out slowly and hope that whatever or whoever was her information source did not lash out before he had an answer. He could not protect his students when he didn't know what the threat was.

Back to the main issue, he needed a way to question Itachi about the massacre without directly bringing up Danzo or possibly linking Shikako-chan to anything. He also needed support in this, he could not circumvent Tsunade's (and so potentially Danzo's) authority on his own. He needed help... Preferably from someone who he outranked, had suitable standing, the ability to bullshit through any questions, an understanding of the dark side of Konoha, the clearance to get away with this and who Danzo would not have had many (if any) possible unsupervised dealings with...

A smirk twitched on his lips under his mask. He knew _just_ the person.

-/-

Team 7 had very deliberately not reported in to Tsunade immediately. Kakashi had gone himself, late of course, reported no major issues but that he'd sent his precocious students to the hospital just in case. They'd hand in their reports later that week - _he promised_. He'd timed it well! Tsuande had been in the middle of a meeting with some of the paper-nin and while angry at the interruption lacked the fire to truly turn that anger on him. Said students had indeed gone to the hospital, so that would check out and the reports would be handed in at some point.

In the meantime, he was hunting for his soon to be co-conspirator. He could have just done the efficient thing and gone and asked, but that would have been too obvious. His target was not generally known for his tolerance of bullshit, and Kakashi was a master at it. If he was seen seeking the man out deliberately there would be questions and while he could come up with a million excuses, the point was not to involve Shikako. So. Discrete, coincidental, casual. Obviously, the first thing he did was recruit Gai's assistance.

He snorted to himself. The challenge had given him a reason for making contact. The market place was casual enough right?

"Yo. Mushrooms?"

"Kakashi-san. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Gai challenged me."

"I'm not getting involved."

"Aw come on... You won't have to do anything. Just let me treat you to a drink."

Ibiki scowled at him, the scars around his face crinkling into a rather intimidating look. Kakashi didn't budge. Ibiki's lips twitched upwards into a snarl. Kakashi resisted the urge to swallow and twitched his eyes into a nervous smile.

"I'll pay for barbecue?"

For a second, he thought the interrogator would leave. It was an option. He could trail the man far enough to be irritating while making the discreet need for a meeting clear. Then the man sniffed. "Money up front, Kakashi."

Ok. This was happening then.


	4. No, means no (Naruto)

Naruto's turn. I like writing Naruto, on one level he's so childish, but he's also really insightful when he tries. It's an interesting balance to try to get.

 **Edit 23/3/16:** wow barely any changes at all ;)

-/-

Naruto didn't like this. He didn't like it at all.

It wasn't that he didn't know that Konoha wasn't perfect. He'd spent most of his childhood being quietly shunned and ignored after all, and he was very familiar with how little care orphans actually got in the Konoha system. But, that was different somehow. That was civilians being... civilians. Ninja like Jiji were supposed to be different, better. He remembered talking with Jiji about how being Hokage meant protecting everyone in the whole village, even if they were horrible, mean people.

But... The Uchiha...

Shikako had said she didn't know what the truth was behind the Uchiha's role in the Kyuubi attack. She had said she was fairly certain they hadn't been involved, or at least hadn't been the ones to start it all. She had said she didn't know how far the Uchiha had got in plotting their coup, but that they had been planning something at that point. She had said that Itachi had gone to Jiji, had begged on his knees for him to protect Sasuke.

Naruto believed her. She had looked so sick when she had described things and so, so scared. Even if she didn't, Shikako didn't lie. If she really didn't want to talk about something and you kept pushing her she'd go quiet and retreat, but she had never ever lied to him. Now this Danzo guy, who was apparently scary enough to make Sensei cold and crackly, was messing with his team! Or had been messing with his team - it didn't matter. He wanted to find this Danzo and rip him to pieces for being the reason that Shikako was looking like that, for being the one who had taken Sasuke-teme's family from him. He knew that Sasuke wanted to do it too.

Only this guy was scary and dangerous and powerful enough to wipe out one of Konoha's Founding Clans _in Konoha itself_. And then pin the blame on someone else. And then make everyone believe it.

So. Taking down the Danzo guy would need planning, careful preparation and information.

Just like painting the Hokage monument had! It had taken months to figure out the patrol patterns and then find an outfit that matched the rock shade at that exact moment in time. Then there had been delays when they had changed patrol patterns, and he'd had to work on his stealth skilłs after that one guy started... But it had so been worth it! Definitely his best work ever!

Oh right, information.

He needed some.

And Sensei had found just the guy to get it. Ibiki-taicho could be really scary when he wanted to be! Itachi would definitely crack and tell them everything he knew! Then they could take everything to Tsunade and she could take care of the Danzo guy and everything would be ok again. Naruto pulled out the scroll he'd got back from his awesome toads and handed in over with a sharp grin. Oh yeah, Itachi was in for it...

"The prisoner is in here?"

Shikako nodded once, chewing her lip. "He should be unconscious when he comes out. The seal works by taken the complete space the target occupies, including a thin layer of their surroundings and drastically slowing time with respect to our plain of reality. As far as he's concerned, it shouldn't have been more than a second since he was sealed."

Naruto grinned. That sort of thing may be completely above his head but he'd heard the Pervy-sage complaining about time based seals so he knew that they were horribly difficult. Ones that added in 'space' had to be way harder than that! "Wow, how'd you figure that?"

She smiled shyly at him. "I tried to seal a lit candle and then unseal it without putting out the flame."

The creepy guy was giving him a look and he smiled back sheepishly. The guy let his gaze turn blah and focused on his teammate. "Shikako if you could?"

She nodded sharply, and unrolled the scroll, her hand lighting up blue as she concentrated. Then the space seemed to warp around her in a sort of swirly bubble. When it was gone and he could look at the spot again Weasel-teme was lying unconscious underneath her palm. The glow around her hands changed to green for a moment before she pulled out loads more tags and did something that made the ink wriggle all over to the prisoner. It was very cool looking. And also slightly scary. Some of those ink lines looked weirdly spiky.

"The prisoner is secured as requested?" Shikako nodded. "Thank you. The two of you may go."

Naruto opened his mouth to protest - they were the ones who had caught him! And the ones that had told Ibiki in the first place! - but Shikako had her hand over his mouth before he could make a sound. He grumbled a bit at her when she let him speak again, but let her drag him away. He'd left a clone in the area anyway. He'd hear it all...

"Hey!"

She twisted around to blink at him. "What?"

"Kakashi-sensei stamped on my spider!"

She snorted softly. "Of course he did. Anyway, it's best if you're not around for the next bit. They're going to be talking secrets."

"I'm a secret. I don't get why I can't hear more of them."

She smirked, which was almost what he had been aiming for, and he grinned back at her. "Come on... We can be really really sneaky..."

"No, Naruto."

"No, what?"

Naruto blinked as Shikamaru was suddenly standing there, slumped in half as usual, looking like a strong breeze would blow him over. It was really creepy how he could do that. It was like he had a mystical sense that let him know whenever his sister was getting genuinely annoyed at them. He always appeared whenever one of them was trying to persuade Shikako of something. Was he... Was he stalking his sister?

Naruto pushed that thought away and pasted on his best innocent smile. "Nothing! Hey, we were going to have dinner at your place tonight! What's your mum making?!"

Shikamaru shrugged, turning a suspicious gaze on his sister. "You haven't had another mission."

"Just felt like it."

He sighed. "Let mum know. She's getting steak later."

"Will do."

Naruto waited until Shikamaru had slouched off out of hearing range and turned to his friend. "Is your twin stalking you?"

"Not for the last year."

"Then how does he know to keep showing up?!"

She smirked. "No idea."


	5. Family Issues (Kakashi)

**Edited 23/3/16: minor changes. Finally dealt with the genin / jonin thing.**

 **-/-**

"Kakashi."

Kakashi did not flinch. He had not done anything wrong. He wasn't planning to do anything wrong. He had not endangered Shikako in any way whatsoever. He was going out of his way to _not_ endanger Shikako. The Jonin Commander had no reason to be angry with him...

"Shikako has been having nightmares - worse than usual. Has something happened?"

Kakashi scratched the back of his head. "Weelll~ no? Can't think of anything. Nope, everything's perfectly fine."

Shikaku frowned at him. For some reason the slight crease between his eyebrows was almost as terrifying as Ibiki's scowl. Possibly because Kakashi knew just how vicious Shikaku could be when motivated. Ibiki was a professional. He didn't get motivated. He just... got on with it.

"Shikamaru has noticed something is wrong too, although Shikako is doing a very good job of hiding exactly what."

Kakashi resisted the urge to get his book out. He really should have had it out already, but he'd been too busy thinking about Itachi's reactions to Ibiki's questions. He hadn't answered anything yet, but the _way_ he hadn't answered was telling. It had been enough for Ibiki to decide to support him in his get-rid-of-Danzo plan. Kakashi really wished he could have at least mustered up something stronger than vague disappointment at the confirmation. As it was he was rather surprisingly unsurprised, he hadn't been fully aware he had that low an opinion of Konoha's leadership...

"Kakashi."

"Mah, Shikaku-san, everything's fine."

The father, and he was definitely a father right then and not the Jonin Commander, sighed. "Kakashi, if you have found out something about what has been bothering Shikako..."

Kakashi winced and tried to suppress the movement in the same instant. It came out as a minuscule twitch instead. He cursed himself for the slip. Of course Shikaku would notice that. The man was nothing less than observant.

Shikaku sighed. "Troublesome. I expect to be filled in _soon_ , Kakashi." His eyes flickered to the left before he jumped away and Kakashi turned to where Sasuke was heading towards them. The younger of the two Uchiha was looking particularly scowly today. Kakashi was very glad to see him.

"Sensei."

"And what has got my cute little student wandering around with a storm cloud on his face?"

"We are not small, we are not cute, we are not little and we have not been your students for years. Stop calling us that. Sensei. Please."

Kakashi counted it as a win that the boy did actually address him by his title, even if it was an afterthought. He did make a mental note that Sasuke still called him Sensei and thus his arguments were as useless as ever.

"And Shikamaru is stalking me."

"Really..."

"Make him stop."

Kakashi smirked, as if he could stop a determined Nara from doing whatever the hell they wanted - especially with one of his own on his back. "Asked Shikako? She's got better at wrangling her twin lately."

"She shrugged at me. And then asked Ino if she wanted to go shopping." He looked irritated at his teammate's frankly devious tactics. Kakashi approved. It was similar to his own tactic of running into Gai - heaven forbid someone actually try to interrupt one of his friend's challenges.

"I've taught you escape and evasion tactics. Do you need a refresher course?"

"He keeps finding me! Whenever I'm off duty!"

Kakashi chuckled. "Ah well, I can't help you then. Now, people to see, missions to do. See you around~"

It had been almost 18 hours since he'd checked up on Shikako-chan. It was time to wander over in her direction. Let's see... Would she have finished shopping with Ino by now? It was getting late... He hoped she hadn't gone home yet. Shikaku had only just left.

-/-

Shikako hadn't made it home. He felt almost pathetically grateful for that. Shikaku hadn't given up trying to corner him again until an issue with one of the border patrols had called him away. Kakashi had taken advantage of the reprieve to disappear but he wasn't under any illusions that he'd be able to keep it up for long. His own student was an excellent example of what a suitably motivated Nara could achieve, and nothing quite motivated Shikaku like something troubling one of his children.

Kakashi spread his senses out to double check that none of the Nara clan (or anyone else suspicious) was near and then dropped down next to her. She cast a glance at him before focusing back on the path, letting her feet drag slightly as she headed home. She looked... tired? Distracted? He felt rather pleased that she didn't quite feel the need to hold up a facade in front of him anymore.

"So... Deep thoughts?"

She glanced at him with a quirk of her lips. "My family are concerned."

"You've been having nightmares." It was both an invitation and a mild reprimand. He wasn't sure if she caught the question part or not.

"I... Yeah." She hesitated before walking again. "They have been a bit worse lately. Of course they would notice." She sighed, "I wish they hadn't. It... They worry enough."

Kakashi hummed non-committedly. He hadn't forgotten that in addition to Danzo there was still the issue of whatever was threatening his student. And from what he had deduced, the threat involved her family to some extent. There really wasn't much else she could have been threatened with at that age. Also while Danzo was a factor, it could be argued that village security, and as a result clan security, wasn't as tight as it could be. Someone could have snuck in.

She didn't speak again as Kakashi walked her back to the entrance of the Nara compound. He didn't expect her to talk, but reinforcing the idea he was there, that he was on her side... He hoped it helped. The sooner she accepted that she wasn't alone in this anymore the better.


	6. Incomplete Puzzle (Shikaku)

Figure it was time for some Nara. Feel slightly guilty doing this not my coursework but meh... You guys don't mind the glimpse to the past do you?

 **Edited 23/3/16:** couple of sentences muddled around. No plot changes.

-/-

Shikaku, like most Nara, used his laziness as a weapon. The Ancient Art of Faking Sleep was a long practiced Nara tradition and, despite how little his daughter used it, both his children were well versed in its benefits. For Shikaku, it meant that his frequent naps in the break room allowed him to gain a great deal of gossip. After all, why would a sleeping Nara pay any attention to what his colleagues were giggling over on the other side of the room? Gossip was so troublesome...

Unless it hinted at trouble that was going to happen soon.

Unless it gave you advanced warning of something you could avoid or deal with early.

It was gossip that informed Shikaku that something was up a good few hours before Shikako got home. Genma heard from Aoba who heard from Kotetsu that Shikamaru was hanging around the gate. Anko heard from Kurenai who was dropping off some cakes after talking to Ino that Team 7 was stopping off on their way home to celebrate. Those two facts... Didn't paint the best of pictures. Shikamaru wouldn't be fussing over a little team bonding and Team 7 always came to theirs for their post mission dinner.

So. He'd meandered home from work early, settled himself down with his trusty shogi board and then after dinner lured Shikamaru into a game. The game had lasted a bit longer than usual but then they had been interrupted twice - once by Yoshino shooing them out to tend to the deer, and then again when Kofuku had brought the latest set of reports over. After the game, Shikamaru had gone to bed. Shikako had come home a few minutes later, had stopped long enough for a hug, a few teasing comments on him not getting enough sleep and then gone to bed herself. She had looked fine then.

Shikako's medical report had been on the top of the pile so Shikaku knew that at least Shikamaru's concern wasn't due to injury. There was still something... off... though.

He considered the information he had as he put the board away. Shikamaru had relaxed a little in the last year when it came to his twin. True, it was grudgingly, and had taken some difficult missions together to get them both on similar pages... But overall Shikamaru had stopped trying to get Shikako to retire, and Shikako had stopped getting frustrated when Shikamaru hovered. Shikaku kept an eye out for issues after any particularly nasty missions for either of them, and a closer one once Naruto had returned, but generally the unrest during their first year or two as shinobi had sorted itself out.

(He was 95% sure it had something to do with the ankle bands the two of them had started wearing everywhere. They had a very interesting double layer design and somehow never ended up in the washing when it was his or Yoshino's turn.)

Shikako had been faking, that much was obvious. The look of relief in her eyes that had been there after Gaara's rescue was absent this time and her skin was slightly paler than usual. Her smile had been mostly genuine and she had been pleased to see him. She was not physically injured, and she wasn't worried or talking about seeing to her teammate's like she would if they had been injured.

Shikamaru was uneasy, but not to the point he had insisted on waiting up or actually saying anything. He had loitered around the gate, but had come home on his own. His play was distracted but not to the point he made any actual mistakes.

Ino had thought Team 7 was delaying their return for some team bonding, and Inoichi hadn't turned up with questioning looks.

The obvious conclusions were easy: Ino had no idea anything was wrong. If she did, or if she was complicit, Inoichi would have noticed and come round to see if he could get anything out of Shikamaru. Shikamaru was certain something iffy was up, but didn't know what. He wasn't relaxed enough for it to be something minor, and he wasn't saying or doing anything that would hinder anyone. His hard earned caution was showing. Then Shikako was hiding something. He was her father; he knew the signs.

The more difficult question, was what was Shikako hiding?

Her team knew. The probability of the 'bonding night' being about anything else was exceptionally slim. Her lack of relief had unpleasant connotations too. He refused to speculate more without more information.

The faint sound of someone tossing about made him narrow his eyes, and drift upstairs to linger outside Shikako's door. Her chakra was suppressed, but not severely. She wasn't moving from her bed. As a set of near silent footsteps made their way towards him, he turned to raise an eyebrow at his son.

' _Nightmare_.' The boy mouthed, and Shikaku grimaced internally. They waited until the sounds faded, Shikako settled and then Shikamaru drifted off to bed. Shikaku joined Yoshino in their room. She was awake and waiting.

"Nightmares again?"

"Yes."

She pursed her lips in worry but didn't say anything, just curled into his arms as he held her tightly. Shikaku drifted off slowly, never managing more than a fitful dose. In the morning, he promised himself, he would ask her how her mission went.

-/-

The next morning Shikako had already left the house by the time he was up. And the morning after that. She was out visiting friends, training and volunteering with the Intelligence division - too busy for her poor old dad. And her nightmares were getting worse.

Shikamaru had taken to stalking Sasuke. As grumpy as the boy currently was, he was definitely involved and was easier to track down than Naruto.

Shikaku had checked the respective reports, found nothing concerning and decided to go after a different source. Usually his source was more cooperative, but right now... Well Kakashi was being more difficult to find than usual, and he definitively knew something. He hadn't needed a textbook guilty response to prove that. He would need persistence to crack that mask though - Kakashi clearly had no intention of giving him the answers he wanted anytime soon.

He'd think of something - as soon as he had sorted out what was going on with their border patrols.


	7. Turning Up The Pressure (Ibiki)

You may thank my incompetent internet provider for this. I had little better to do while stuck in hold because my internet was down...

 **Edited 23/3/16:** Shisui's name is now consistent. I still keep calling him Sushi in my head though.

-/-

The glass hit the bar with a thud, and Ibiki signalled another glass over. Kakashi eye-smiled at him and drained his own glass before disappearing. Still, he left a couple of bills on the bar, so Ibiki didn't storm after him. The slouching figure of the Jonin Commander weaving his way over towards where they were was enough.

His eyes were as sharp as ever and Ibiki quirked his lips into a grin. Shikaku had been attempting to corner Kakashi for a good few days now. It was a testament to Kakashi's skill that he hadn't been trapped yet.

"Ibiki. Enjoying your date?"

Ibiki did chuckle at that. Anko had taken great delight in cackling over all the rumours. "Free beer and free food. He hasn't dumped me with the bill once."

Shikaku hummed thoughtfully. Ibiki could see the wheels turning in his head and the conclusion he came too. He kept his face blank. Kakashi had been clear. There was no way to know who had been compromised, but the Jonin Commander was a very likely target, as was Tsunade-sama. For the good of Konoha, he could not reveal anything.

Shikaku's eyes narrowed.

Ibiki took a slow drink of his beer, not taking his eyes off the man.

Shikaku glanced away first. He turned casually, noting how many people were in ear shot and determinedly not paying attention. His jaw ticked.

"You know Ibiki, how long has it been since you caught up with your old senpai? Inoichi was just saying the other day how it's a shame none of the younger generation have time for us old foggies anymore. You should come for tea sometime."

Ibiki did. Not. Flinch.

-/-

Kakashi was lounging in front of Itachi's cell when Ibiki caught up with him later, a packed lunch by his side. It looked a lot like the ones Shikako sometimes bought in so Ibiki didn't ask where it was from, instead, he raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Not hungry?"

Kakashi shrugged. "I have other food." He looked briefly disgruntled, before swiping the bento up and passing it to Ibiki. "Ready?"

Ibiki hummed but nodded. Kakashi slipped his headband up and slouched after him, his eyes blank. Ibiki recognised it as his deep thought face. Not surprising. This was a complicated and difficult scenario.

"Ibiki."

Ibiki smiled, "Itachi. How are you doing?" Itachi glanced at the seals crawling over his skin and raised an eyebrow, Ibiki ignored the jab. "Very well, shall we get down to business?"

"I can't help you."

"Whether you help us or not, we will not allow Danzo's manipulation so to continue."

The words were said gently, a mild rebuke. Itachi's face twitched in what would have been distress for a lesser ninja. It was the only approach that seemed to gain any results with him and it was not a tactic that Ibiki was very experienced with, however...

"I can't..."

"Do you think he won't target Sasuke if you don't help us? That no one your brother cares about will be hurt?"

Itachi's dark eyes stared up at him, his Sharingan was blocked by the seals, but he still had a penetrating gaze. Ibiki sensed victory was close though. There was a seed of doubt behind that solid conviction. One that was growing.

"Danzo has already targeted Sasuke, Itachi. Whether you are free to challenge him or not, he has shown that he does not care." He paused, just long enough for that thought to sink in, but not long enough for a response. "He is a danger to this village, to Sasuke, to every true Konoha ninja. You are a loyal Konoha ninja whether you act the part or not," Itachi opened his mouth slightly to contest this, but Ibiki overrode him. "Why won't you help us?"

Itachi fell silent and looked away. Ibiki waited patiently. Behind him, Kakashi was doing a very good impression of silently melding into the background. Ibiki could barely sense him himself, though he knew Itachi could. He tried anyway. Attempting to sense him was a suitable distraction to the pins and needles growing in his left leg. The usual response of flushing his leg with chakra wouldn't be appropriate given Itachi's own sensing skills and the point of waiting was to let Itachi stew.

-/-

When Itachi did begin to talk, slowly and haltingly five minutes later, Ibiki's patience was well rewarded. Itachi told them everything.

"Danzo... Danzo approached Shisui first. He was already in ANBU, unknown to my clan. He said he had heard rumours and was concerned. The rumours were that there was unrest... because Uchiha had gone missing and the Village hadn't acknowledged this. There were others too; about how Uchiha were being skipped over for promotion because copied jutsu didn't count... How the taxes we paid were the highest out of all the clans and this was unfair. Those... Those weren't true. We knew they weren't true, we had people working in the Hokage tower who saw the finances and mission reports. We knew who was in our clan and who wasn't. We knew where everyone was."

He swallowed, his eyes going distant.

"What was true, was that the police force was being deliberately understaffed, that increasing demands we being placed on our patrols and the Hokage refused to let us recruit among non-Uchiha shinobi. This forced more and more Uchiha to join the police force instead of serving the village in other ways. Non-combat personnel were pulled in first, and we lost our eyes and ears in the tower, in the different departments. Then our Chunin were called back by the clan head to boost the police force numbers, then our genin and a few of our jonin. We were increasingly isolated and the council refused to listen to our complaints."

His lips twisted slightly, hinting at a deep bitterness. "That was when unrest began to show in our clan. And it was when Danzo began to take further steps. He sabotaged the negotiations with the Hokage. He piled more and more restrictions on our clan. The Hokage, Shisui and I tried to keep the peace, but it wasn't working. We came up with a plan. One that would have forced the Uchiha elders to listen. It depended on Shisui."

He fell silent and Ibiki considered him for a few seconds. " Shisui's sharingan."

"Yes." The word was little more than a whisper. "Danzo found out. He stole Shisui's eye. Shisui... Committed suicide. Danzo... Turned to me. He gave me a choice. Either my clan could die at my hands, or those of his 'Foundation'." He fairly spat the last words, before swallowing. "I... I chose mine, at least that way Sasuke could live."

Ibiki considered whether it would be appropriate to lean forward and place a fatherly hand on Itachi's shoulder. He decided it wasn't. "There was no one else you could ask?"

"There was no time. It was then and there... Or not." Itachi dropped his age to his hands. "I went to the Third after. I asked him to protect Sasuke. He said he would."

Ibiki nodded calmly. "Tell me about Shisui's eye? Are the genjutsu it can cast truly undetectable? Unbreakable? What is the extent of the effects of each genjutsu?"

Itachi answered. He was speaking now, and Ibiki took full advantage, wringing out as much information as he could. The situation wasn't as bad as they had feared. Only specific decisions could be affected, and while yes, a decision could be 'will I or won't I trust him completely?' with the possible exception of the other elders, none of those kind had been made. Tsunade certainly didn't trust the Old Warhawk that much and she didn't consult him on everything.

Exactly what decisions he had influenced over the years would likely remain a mystery, but the clean up after this was over? It would be a lot less complicated than they had been fearing. Konoha might get through this with an intact government after all.


	8. Just Can't (Sasuke)

Hi people. So I've gone through and edited the story up to this point. I'm sure I'll come back and edit again in future, but the key issues everyone so _kindly_ pointed out have been fixed. His name still sounds like Sushi to me though. :P

I have been sitting on this for about a week, but I couldn't post it while I had a deadline (3 assignments due same day). My study buddies would have strangled me.

Enjoy!

 **-/-**

Working with Ibiki had a number of benefits that he hadn't first considered, Sasuke mused. He wasn't sure there were many places in Konoha where it was safe to talk without causing flags to be raised, but somehow Ibiki had made the T&I rooms work. He couldn't manage it often apparently - it involved making sure all the non-secure rooms were already conveniently occupied - but this one was theirs for an hour. Kakashi had mentioned he didn't think they'd need it that long, but then again, he hadn't told Sasuke what it would be about either.

He'd just said that he'd be back with Shikako soon.

Straightening up from where he had been slouched against a wall, Sasuke stalked the length of the room. He didn't like these rooms. They brought back memories of being sat huddled in a too-big chair while sympathetic interrogators talked him through everything he knew about his brother and his clan. He'd hated those sessions. He always ended up talking about things that he didn't want to think about - the times he'd woken to his brother and father arguing, or the whispers among the others about how Itachi was at fault for Shisui's death. And he was always struggling to hide his tears when they let him go...

The door opened with a soft chime - and Sasuke relaxed his grip on one of the chairs. Shikako looked... terrible. Well, she didn't really. She looked about as good as she always did - hair washed and in a neat braid and clothes clean and generally well put together. The signs that something was wrong were in her eyes, they were a touch more glazed than usual, and in the way her mouth was slightly turned down to the side instead of flat or twitching upwards.

Kakashi shooed her into a chair and then raised an eyebrow at him. Sasuke considered staying against the wall and Kakashi raised both eyebrows ever so slightly.

Sasuke sat.

"What's this about Sensei?" Shikako's eyes flickered between them, and she managed a brief smile. "I'd have thought... But Naruto's not here."

Kakashi's eyes turned to him and then Shikako, examining their expressions for... Something. Sasuke blinked at him and caught the brief crinkle around his eye. He must have found what he was looking for.

"Could you work with Itachi?"

Sasuke had been looking at Shikako when Kakashi had spoken, and he got a lovely view of how she went milk white. That was fair. There was a difference between saving someone and... And...

"What?!" He was standing up. When had he stood up and why was his chair on the floor? "Why the H-"

Kakashi raised a hand, and Sasuke swallowed. His hands clenched uselessly at his side. Shikako was trembling next to him, and he rested a hand on her shoulder. It grounded him as much as it helped steady her.

"Why?" He ground out. "Why would we ever have to see him again?"

Kakashi sighed, "Ibiki and I have been through the ranks. At one point or other, Danzo has interacted to some extent with every jonin. Every. Single. One. Since getting Shisui's eye, he has met all but four. Fewer special jonin are potentially compromised, but still at least 60% of their number. Of the four jonin that we can guarantee aren't compromised, the only one in the village is Shikako." His eyes softened. "We cannot afford to turn away skilled fighters. Especially ones that we know are against Danzo." He hesitated. "Look, there is a chance that even you and I have been compromised. What and how much we don't know, and we are unlikely to ever know. It would have taken only one order for either of us to have reported this to him and we wouldn't have known."

Sasuke swallowed. "I..."

He turned to Shikako who looked slightly more held together than she had when Kakashi had... Had... She was shaking her head.

"I can't sensei. I'm sorry but I can't."

Her voice was a whisper, and there were minor tremors wracking her frame. Kakashi nodded slowly. "That's alright, Shikako. That's why we're here. So we can talk this through."

Her eyes widened in panic. "No, sensei... I can't! I know he's- I-"

Kakashi held up a hand. "Shikako. It's fine, I'll make sure you don't have to work with him." He turned to Sasuke, "Sasuke?"

Sasuke stared at his clenched hands. He could understand. He could. They needed all the help they could get and Itachi was a strong fighter. It was logical and and and- Sasuke took a deep breath. Danzo wouldn't be easy to take down. He would have an army of helpers. The only fight they would need Itachi for would be against Danzo.

Sasuke wasn't going to sit out that fight.

"I... I don't want to." He met Kakashi's eyes. "I'll try."

 **-/-**

Later, once Shikako was feeling better and had left to meet up with Ino and her kunoichi group, Sasuke crossed his arms and glared. Kakashi ignored him, gathering his things together and coming back around to Ssauke's (and the door's) side of the room.

"This isn't a good idea. He-"

"I know."

"Shikako may think that-"

"I know Sasuke." His sensei's voice was incredibly gentle. "Itachi won't be released, and he won't be allowed to wander around the village."

"Good." He swallowed. "I... I know why he did it Sensei, but... I can't forgive him. He- He didn't have to do that to Shikako or you. He didn't have to hunt Naruto, or threaten Team Gai or... Or..." Frustration got the better of him and he felt his nails digging into his palms.

Kakashi placed an awkward hand in his shoulder. "It's a bad situation, Sasuke. No one is expecting you to just forgive him. And the Leaf won't forgive him either. Shikako may think he was justified but... We're ANBU. You and I both know there were other options. At the very least he should have contacted the Third earlier."

Sasuke took a shuddering breath. He knew. He knew what Kakashi was talking about. He knew that Itachi didn't have to slaughter the infants, or torture his team, or do any of the other things he'd done to push Sasuke that little bit further over the years. He'd still done it though. He'd done it for _Sasuke_ , for _him_. But that didn't – couldn't – make it right. No matter how much Sasuke secretly longed for his big brother back.

"What will happen to him?"

Kakashi was silent for a moment. "He'll be kept alive until this matter is settled and we are satisfied that we have all relevant information."

"Then he'll be executed."

Kakashi shook his head. "Execution requires a trial, and he's ill. Very ill."

Sasuke nodded once sharply. There wasn't really anything else to say.


	9. Mission Mi Shh On

Im on fire this week... :) Make the most of it :P

-/-

Naruto had been given an important job. A very important job. The most important job actually, and he wasn't sure why he'd been given it because it was incredibly important and he wasn't the most subtle person but maybe Sensei was busy with Ibiki and Shikako and Sasuke both had their own jobs so...

There was Hinata! "Hi Hinata!"

She turned bright red as he dropped down in front of her and wobbled backwards a step before swallowing and pushing her fingers together nervously. Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. Shikako had spoken to him about this. He wasn't supposed to randomly appear around Hinata when she was distracted. She was allergic to him or something.

Naruto was proud of himself for remembering that. Shikako hadn't said it, but Sakura had said that when you were allergic to something it meant that you got sick if you got exposed to it - sometimes very quickly. She'd stared at him when he asked if that was why Hinata was always fainting around him but had been called away before she could say anything. Naruto was sure he was right though. She turned red and blotchy and had trouble breathing and everything! There was no other explanation!

Of course Saskue had told him you couldn't be allergic to a person but what did the Teme know? Girls were weird!

"Na-Naruto." She smiled at him, he liked her smiles. "Were you looking for me?"

Naruto shook his head, his own smile stretching over his face in answer to hers. "Nope! Your cousin, Hoheto? Know where he might be?"

Hinata blinked at him before shaking her head rapidly. "N-No. Sorry Naruto! I thought he was still on a mission!"

"Eh," He fluttered his hand, in Kakashi-sensei's best it's all cool so don't worry about it gesture and shrugged. "It's fine! See you around Hinata!"

She waved goodbye as he jumped back to the roof and continued his search. Mission. Ok. Hoheto was on a mission. Were the other people on missions? It would make it a lot harder if they were, but only because it meant it was harder to make back up plans if things went wrong. And time, they didn't have much time! There must be a way to know who was out on missions and who was in the village! That way he wouldn't have to worry about looking for people who weren't here.

Hmmmmm. Iruka-Sensei would know!

-/-

"Iruka-sensei!"

Iruka choked on his drink. "Naruto! What have I told you about sneaking up on people?!"

Naruto shrugged and grinned. "I wasn't sneaking Sensei. You were just busy."

Iruka fixed him with a dark glare. It only rated a 3 on the Iruka-sensei scale though so Naruto ignored it until Iruka-sensei signed and slumped back into his chair. "What do you need Naruto? I thought you were busy today?"

Naruto shrugged. "How do you know who is out on missions Sensei?"

"Well you can always ask at the mission desk... They keep a record." He smiled fondly, "Why do you want to know? Got a mission?"

Naruto gave Iruka his best no-problem-here grin. He did after all, have a mission. "Yep, sure! It's an awesome mission and I can't tell you about it but it's going to be really really big! And important! Very important!"

His mind wandered to this Danzo guy and the level of hell that was going to be unleashed upon him soon. Kakashi-sensei and Ibiki weren't the kind of people to mess around and Tsuande wouldn't let him get away with this either when she found out. By the time those three were through with him there wouldn't be much left. He would deserve every bit of it Naruto was sure.

Iruka's smile turned a little strained. "Naruto... You know you're a Chunnin now. You have a responsibility to be a good example to the rest of the shinobi forces."

"Yeah yeah, I know." He waved him off, and turned on the puppy eyes. "Soooooo?"

Iruka rolled his eyes. "Alright, we'll go look together. But whatever you're planning, I don't want to know alright?"

Naruto grinned. "Thanks Sensei! And don't worry! You won't know until everyone else does."

Iruka shook his head with a fond smile. "If you say so."

-/-

Naruto hummed thoughtfully as he thought over the list of available shinobi Iruka had helped him get. Of the possible allies Kakashi had asked him to find, about 60% were out on missions or otherwise unavailable. That was a large number, although Iruka had told him that about half of those would be back by the end of the week. He wasn't sure if Kakashi and the others would want to wait that long. He didn't. He wanted this Danzo guy dealt with before he caused any more trouble for his village!

It hadn't been easy but, he'd got everyone in the village on Sensei's list. Everyone but one. He'd even managed to be discrete about it, sending each person to meet Sasuke-in-ANBU-gear so that he and Shikako could direct them to the real meeting place. Kakashi-sensei would meet them there and then they'd finally find out about what was going to happen. He couldn't wait! With Ibiki and Kakashi being all aloof and secretive and everything...

He dropped down with a grin to see the last person on his list. He'd left him for last because he should be one of the easiest. Well, assuming he wasn't busy. All his old classmates were so busy these days...

"Naruto?"

Naruto beamed. "Hey Kiba! I was looking for you!"

Kiba gave him an uneasy look. "You were? Why?"

"Just a mission. You free?"

Kiba grinned, his fangs showing briefly. "Of course! What's the job?"

Naruto beamed at him. "Come on! It's kinda complicated."

Kiba looked curious, but was perfectly happy to follow him back to where he had sent the others. Naruto was pleased with himself, he'd managed to time it almost perfectly. By the time they got there, Sasuke would be escorting Shikako back. They could meet up half way and head there together.

Then they'd get to the serious buisness.

He smiled again, a hint of teeth to this one.

Danzo was going down.


End file.
